


For the Love of Caffeine

by Seravia



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, Fluff, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 22:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/984404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seravia/pseuds/Seravia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur started going to Avalon’s Coffee for his caffeine fix.  The coffee was good, but it was Merlin he kept coming back for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For the Love of Caffeine

**Author's Note:**

> For prompt 25 from drarryisgreen at Merlin-Writers September Coffee Shop Theme.
> 
> "Gwen is Arthur's assistant, he makes her do everything except for a coffee run. For a coffee run he likes to go to the Coffeehouse himself."

Arthur Pendragon, CEO of Pendragon Industries, did not like to leave his office. That’s what he had an assistant for. Gwen was the best assistant Arthur could ever have asked for (or been forced on him by Morgana, more like). She did anything he asked without complaint, ranging from making copies to buying him a more comfortable cushion for his chair. But then there were those times where she would innocently drop Morgana’s name into conversation, making Arthur remember that Morgana would flay him if he ever mistreated Gwen. This usually promptly led to Gwen getting the rest of the day off. 

On second thought, Gwen was a conniving harpy. She learned from the best, after all.

Despite Arthur’s aversion to leaving his work, he did in fact need to step outside. The only times Arthur left his office were to get coffee and to go home. Gwen did everything for Arthur, but she never got him his coffee.

Arthur got coffee twice a day, every day. In the morning before arriving at work, Arthur would pop into a little coffee shop called Avalon’s Coffee that was a block away from his office. Every morning when Arthur got there, the coffee shop was just opening, and the shop’s owner – Merlin – would give him a cheerful smile before starting the coffee machine. 

\--

The first time Arthur ordered his drink at Avalon’s Coffee, the exchange didn’t go over very smoothly. “A medium seven shot, two pump amaretto, one pump caramel, two percent, no whip, no foam latte with caramel drizzle and toffee sprinkles,” Arthur said.

The man behind the counter gaped at Arthur until he snapped, “Well? Aren’t you going to ring up the purchase or make the coffee?”

“Er… can you repeat that?” the man asked. When Arthur opened his mouth to repeat his order, the man quickly held up a hand in alarm and said, “After I get pen and paper!”

Arthur waited with a put-upon sigh as the man rummaged beside the cash register for some scrap paper. “Ready?” Arthur asked.

“Ready,” the man behind the counter replied. “Shoot.”

Despite the confusion while Arthur was placing his order, the man had his coffee ready in record time. When Arthur took a sip, he grudgingly admitted that it was one of the best made coffees he’d ever tasted.

So he kept going back. It didn’t take long before Arthur learned Merlin’s name and began exchanging banter with him daily.

\--

What started out as a simple trip for coffee soon turned into the highlight of Arthur’s day. He enjoyed seeing Merlin’s grin first thing in the morning and hearing Merlin’s voice tease him about his order that was “so ridiculous I wouldn’t dare inflict it on anyone else.”

Soon, one dose of Merlin each day wasn’t enough for Arthur. It was when Arthur found himself venturing out of his office around lunch to see Merlin – under the guise of getting a caffeine fix – that Arthur realized he was fucked. Before Merlin, he never once left his office until he was heading home. Suddenly, going out for lunch became a daily ritual, one where Arthur would get a sandwich from the shop in his building and walk to Avalon’s Coffee to get another ridiculously complicated coffee before grabbing a table to eat his lunch, pretending to do work on his iPhone while actually sneaking glances at Merlin. Occasionally Merlin would turn and catch Arthur’s eye and send him a warm smile. Despite the number of times this happened, Arthur was always caught off guard, responding with a kind of attempt at friendliness that ended up being more of a grimace before darting out the door, blushing in a way he hadn’t done since sixth form.

That was when he realized he wasn’t just fucked. He was falling in love. And love was not in Arthur’s life plan.

Logically, this meant Arthur should have either stayed away or asked Merlin out. Unfortunately, Arthur did neither. By this point, Arthur didn’t even pretend go to Avalon’s Coffee for a caffeine fix. He admitted that the reason he kept going back was for his “Merlin fix.” Which meant staying away wasn’t an option.

The thing that kept Arthur from asking Merlin on a date happened to work with Merlin. Every night when Arthur left work, he walked past Avalon’s Coffee, idling for a few moments to gaze at Merlin wiping down the tables and closing the shop for the night. More than a few times, Arthur caught sight of one of Merlin’s employees – Will was his name, Arthur thought – being a bit more than friendly with Merlin. The first time he saw Will and Merlin closing up the shop together, Will was wrapping an arm around Merlin’s waist to pull him away from the table he was cleaning and pull him close to his chest, leaning in for a kiss. Arthur stood in the shadows for several minutes watching the intimate exchange, trying to ignore the ache in his chest.

Every night, Arthur wanted to walk inside and have a proper conversation with Merlin. Every night, he walked away instead.

One day, as Arthur was sitting in the coffee shop during lunch and surreptitiously watching Merlin, Merlin plopped down across the table from him.

Arthur jumped so hard he sloshed coffee down his front.

“Are you okay?” Merlin asked immediately, eyebrows furrowed in concern as he immediately reached for napkins to help Arthur dry off.

“Fine,” Arthur replied through gritted teeth, blinking rapidly to get rid of tears that sprang up in his eyes from the scalding hot coffee on his chest.

“Are you sure?”

“Very sure,” Arthur insisted, dabbing gently at the stain. “So what brings you here?” he asked casually.

“I own this place?” Merlin said, quirking a smile.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I know that. But why are you sitting with me? You’re always at the counter.”

“I can’t sit and have lunch with a friend?”

Arthur practically swallowed his own tongue in an effort to assure Merlin that “yes, yes, you are most definitely welcome to have lunch with a friend.”

Merlin just laughed in that way that made Arthur’s whole life seem lighter and said, “I took a break. Will can manage without me for half an hour. I’m starving, and I figured we should have a proper conversation at some point.”

“Yes, yes,” Arthur agreed immediately. “Proper conversation. Definitely.”

“So, I think I already know quite a bit about you. Judging by your coffee orders, you’re a bit of a prat,” Merlin said, eyes twinkling. Before Arthur could protest, he continued, “But a nice one, I have to admit. I made you spill your coffee on that nice shirt that probably costs more than my rent, and you didn’t throw the rest of it in my face.”

“Oh, so you can read people by their coffee orders, can you?” Arthur retorted.

“Didn’t you know?” Merlin asked, eyes wide with false innocence. “I’m a coffee psychic.”

Arthur gaped at Merlin for several moments before they both burst out laughing.

“I hope you didn’t take me seriously for a single second,” Merlin gasped out between laughs.

“I assure you I didn’t,” Arthur replied, shaking his head in amusement. “I was merely trying to think of a response that could possibly follow a statement like that.”

As they were laughing together, banter flowing between them easily as if they were old friends, the coffee machine gave a shrill whistle and Merlin jumped up, wide-eyed. As the sound continued, Will started waving him over frantically.

Merlin took a step in the direction of the counter before turning back to Arthur, a contemplative look on his face. Merlin shot Arthur a soft smile and said, “Sorry to run. We should do this again some time.”

Before Arthur gathered his wits enough to respond, Merlin was gone, darting off to fiddle with the coffee machine. Arthur hid a smile as he whispered into his empty coffee cup, “Yeah. We should do this again.”

True to his word, Merlin joined Arthur for lunch again a few days later. And then the week after that. Soon, Arthur rarely went a day without Merlin dropping by his table at lunch, if only to exchange a few brief quips.

Months later, as Arthur walked by the coffee shop at night, he saw Merlin push Will away as he leaned in for a kiss. Terrified to hope, Arthur walked faster, trying to put the image from his mind. The next night, he couldn’t help but linger in the shadows, watching Merlin and Will’s dynamic. Despite Arthur’s poor vantage point, it was clear that Merlin and Will’s interactions lacked the intimacy they used to hold. Gone were the kisses and tender touches, replaced with small smiles and proprietary pats on the shoulder. As the weeks went by, Arthur noticed the tension between Merlin and Will melt away. But they never regained the romantic intimacy they once had. 

Arthur’s heart leapt in his chest, and for a moment, Arthur allowed himself to hope.

Arthur was comfortable with the increasingly familiar dynamic he and Merlin established. Finally, Arthur mustered up the courage to ask Merlin if he’d like to get lunch somewhere else the next day for a change. To Arthur’s relief, Merlin quickly agreed, flashing Arthur his trademark grin before disappearing back behind the counter.

As luck would have it, that very next day, Arthur’s alarm didn’t go off, making him late for an important meeting with a client and leaving him no time to get coffee in the morning. Which meant the meeting had to be pushed back and, of course, the client would insist on meeting later that day. During lunch. It was all Arthur could do not to bang his head against the table in frustration.

Left with no other choice, Arthur sent Gwen to Avalon’s Coffee for his usual order. If Arthur couldn’t have his daily fix of Merlin, he was damn well going to at least have his daily fix of caffeine. 

\--

In Avalon’s Coffee, Merlin was waiting nervously behind the counter, having been getting orders wrong left and right the entire day. He tried repeatedly to convince himself that there was nothing to be nervous about because his lunch with Arthur wasn’t a date. He failed miserably every time.

Then an unfamiliar woman stepped up to counter, pulled out a sticky note and read off, “Can I have a medium seven shot, two pump amaretto, one pump caramel, two percent, no whip, no foam latte with caramel drizzle and toffee sprinkles?”

Merlin froze as he reached for a coffee cup. “Excuse me?”

The woman’s face fell. “Please don’t make me repeat that.”

“Oh, no!” Merlin replied. “I got it. It’s just that… I only have one customer who ever takes his coffee that way and I never imagined anyone else did. He’s a regular and he hasn’t shown up yet today.”

“Only one customer…” the woman said slowly. “He wouldn’t happen to be tall, blond, fit, and incredibly overbearing, would he? And named Arthur?”

Merlin brightened. “Yes! That’s him!”

The woman laughed. “Arthur’s my boss. I know he usually gets coffee around this time, but he’s been so busy today he’s barely had time to breathe. I never get sent out on coffee runs even though I do everything else for him, and I’ve always wondered why. I guess I have my answer,” she said, giving Merlin a once over and shooting him a sly look.

Merlin blushed and laughed nervously. “What? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Oh I’m completely serious,” she said, sending Merlin a wicked grin. She glanced at her watch and looked at Merlin guiltily. “Do you mind getting to the coffee? It’s just I’m on a bit of a schedule since Arthur’s due in his meeting in five minutes.”

“Yes, of course! I’ll have it ready right away. Don’t worry, I’ve had months of practice,” Merlin said with a wink.

“I’m Gwen by the way. It’s lovely to meet you.” Gwen patted Merlin’s hand as she took the drink, slipping him a tiny card in the process. She winked at Merlin before saying, “Drop by some time. I guarantee Arthur will be overjoyed.”

“Wha – “ Merlin began, preparing to ask Gwen what she was talking about. Before he could get the words out, Gwen gave a quick wave and disappeared out the door. Confused, Merlin glanced down at the card in his palm, eyes widening as he realized it was Arthur’s business card, complete with his full name, phone number, and office address.

Torn between seeing Arthur and not wanting to be too forward, Merlin tucked the business card into his pocket, resolving not to think about it until the end of the day. Unfortunately, putting the business card from his mind was easier said than done. Every five minutes, Merlin would pull the card out of his pocket to read over again, spending so much time staring at the card, he spilled so much coffee on the ground he and Will were practically swimming in it.

Finally it was Will who made his decision for him when he asked if Merlin can flip the sign to “closed,” and Merlin just hummed absently, pulling the card out of his pocket to stare at again.

“For god’s sake, Merlin!” Will shouted. “Just go see the prat if you want to so badly!”

Merlin startled so badly he drops the card. With a squeak, he picked it up hurriedly, dusting it off and examining it to make sure it wasn’t damaged. “Who said I wanted to see Arthur?”

Will approached Merlin and snatched the card from him, holding it up in front of Merlin’s face. “Do you see this business card, Merlin? You’ve been touching it so much these past few hours it looks like you’ve had it for years. If you don’t go see this bloke, you’re not even going to get to sleep tonight.”

“But – “

“But nothing! I didn’t say anything before, but the bloke is clearly head over heads for you. It’s been clear since the first time he sat down for lunch in our coffee shop. You’ve been so busy mooning over him that you didn’t even notice him mooning just as much over you.”

Merlin took the card back, smoothing it in his palm gently. “Do you really think so?”

“I know so,” Will replied.

Merlin grinned and said, “Thanks, Will. There’s just one thing I have to do before I find him.” 

Merlin headed back to the coffee machines, preparing to make the best medium seven shot, two pump amaretto, one pump caramel, two percent, no whip, no foam latte with caramel drizzle and toffee sprinkles he’d ever made.

\--

“Arthur!” came the shout from behind him. Arthur spun around and practically fell over when he saw Merlin standing by the doors to his office building.

“Merlin?” he asked in shock, hardly daring to believe his eyes.

Merlin jogged up to Arthur and paused uncertainly. He offered Arthur a nervous smile. “Hi. I brought you coffee.”

“Thank you,” Arthur said, still reeling from shock as he took the cup from Merlin. He was so confused he didn’t even drink the coffee. “What are you doing here?”

Merlin bit his lip and ducked his head. “I wanted to see you. You didn’t come by today.”

“I’m sorry about lunch,” Arthur blurted out. “I hope Gwen explained. Believe me when I say I would much rather have had lunch with you than with my client. I –“ Arthur faltered briefly before gathering his courage and finished shyly, “I was really looking forward to our lunch.”

When Merlin just stared at Arthur wordlessly, Arthur launched back into his rant, “There was so much going on at the office that I couldn’t even get away to breathe, much less get coffee, and – “

Merlin covered Arthur’s mouth with his hand. He smiled sweetly and said, “I really just wanted to see you, Arthur.”

Arthur’s eyes softened. “I wanted to see you too,” he murmured against Merlin’s palm. Arthur pulled Merlin’s hand away, but didn’t let go, using it to pull him closer. When Merlin smiled like the sun was shining from Arthur’s eyes, he leaned in and pressed his mouth to Merlin’s.

“I’m sorry for missing our date,” Arthur whispered when he pulled back.

“It’s okay,” Merlin said softly. “This is perfect.”

“You’re perfect,” Arthur said honestly.

Merlin blushed and ducked his head. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he muttered.

“I’m not being the least bit ridiculous.”

Merlin just blushed harder.

“I really am sorry I couldn’t make it today. Shall we try again tomorrow?”

“Why wait?” Merlin said, sending Arthur a filthy grin before dipping his head to mouth at Arthur’s jaw.

Arthur moaned quietly. “God yes. Come home with me?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”


End file.
